The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-08-20
A Wonderful Man

When western Pennsylvania was
the frontier and the Indian fighter
was the most important and indis-
pensible person in the settlement,
says Pittsburgh letter to the New
York Sun, Charles Brandon was one
of the most daring of all the active
foes of the red men. At the age of
years, in 1854, he was captured by
the Indians, who killed his father at
the same time. This was on the
banks of the Ohio river. For twelve
years the boy was kept among the
saYages, but he disliked them. and
escaped when he was 10 years old.
he found a white settlement, and
learned to talk his native language.
From that time on he gave his life
to killing Indians.
In 1870, when the Indians were
getting scarce, Charles Brandon mar
ried young woman named Mary
Meyers. She bore him two children
and died. He then married Fannie
Slusher. She bore him eighteen,
children, and died in 1880. Brandon
was then nearly ~ years old. When
he was five yeaas older he married
Sarah Baker, who was only Is. She
was the youngest Of sixteen children.
She lived with him twenty-one years.
bearing him in the meantime fifteen
children, Then she got divorce
from him, he being SO. The separa-
tioh from his wife broke his heart,
and although was at the time as agile,
strong and active as he was when he
was married, he pinned away and died
the same year the divorce was OBJ
tanned. He then had thirty-three
living children.
His divorced widow has had the
care of all of them, and she raised all
that were young enough to need rails
ing. Brandon had been the father of
thirty-fve children, but two died,
one a child by his first wife and the
other one of the eighteen his second
wife rad borne him. The divorced
wife moved to MoundsviIle, w. Va,
and most of the thirty three children
went with her. Among them were
two Johns and two Charleses. One
of the Johns and one of the Charleses
were the third wife's children. There
was James who was old enough to
go to the Mexican war, where he was
wounded in the neck. When the war
of the rebellion broke out the two
johns, the two Charleses, Sim, Ev-
ans, Peter, Josephus, Hiram James,
Van Buren,, Jacob, Abraham, Alex
ander, David, Andrew, and Reese,
of the sons, enlisted in the Union
army, all in the Ohio and Virginia
regiments. The third Mrs. Brandon's
John and Charles were taken prison.
er at Chickamauga. They were both
put in Andersonville prison. John
died in nine months; Charles was
there twenty-One months and escap-
ed. Peter was killed at Shiloh while
his regiment, the Seventy second
Ohio, was making a charge. All the
other sons served through the war
and came home.
The third wife of the remarkable
old Indian killer, and mother and
step-mother of his remarkable fam
lily, still lives at Moundsyille. She
is seventy years old. Until three
months ago she was in destitute cir
cumstances. Then she got a pension
and $4,000 as her claim against the
Goyernment. She is six feet in
height, as straight as an arrow, as
strong as man. and excelling nine
out of every ten men in power of en-
durance. Only a few days ago-one
of the hottest--she walked to st.
Clairsville, twenty miles, in five
hours, and back again in the same
time. She has only one eye, The
other one was shot out about thirty
years ago by one of the second wife's
boys. She had occasion to correct
him. He got his bow and arrow and
shot her, putting out her eye. This
remarkable woman knows the where
abouts of only nine of the thirty
three children, They live near her.
"But takin' them an their chill.
dren an their chlldren's children,
there must be nigh to a thousan' on
'em by this time"